What happens after your GCSE? Are there apprenticeship programs for trades, or two-year programs similar to US community college?

If you want to go to uni and can, how is that done? What are A-levels?

If your situation is anything like ours, a high school diploma (similar to GCSE if I'm understanding properly) alone isn't going to get you much of a job, even from a good school much less a poor one.

Snowflakey -- a huge problem, to me, with job training programs in the US is not just money spent on them, but availability and coordination. These programs are scattered all over the place, and whether or not one's available or you find it is pretty much down to luck.

There needs to be a way to make them consistent and available, much less funded. State, federal, private, whatever, there needs to be something set up more cohesive and coherent than the patchwork random kaleidoscope we have now.

The course I will be doing at Uni has an AAB A level requirement. At CEE I am miles away from the requirement. However, because I am 35 my A levels didn't count, and I needed 5 GCSEs C or above to secure my place (I have 5Bs and 5Cs). I have to complete a foundation year which is 1 years crash course to get me up to the same level as an 18yr old leaving school with good grades (and also up to date with modern science) then I can progress onto degree year one.

Different universities have different requirements. I wouldn't have been considered for this degree when I was fresh from school. I couldn't even get onto a Biomed degree. Applied biology was the best I could hope for.

Now, because I am "mature", I have opportunities available that weren't there 18 years ago.

Hey Jessie. I've already got 26 & 30 year old daughters and 2 pigs (who are begging for hay right now). What's one more daughter? Come on over & share your pig expertise with us. But you'll have to sleep on the deck 'cause we're out of space in our smallish house. :P

I fell out with TM years ago. Her comments over life tariffs hit a little too close to home, at a time when I was realising how short a sentence my Mum's killer had served and my head was not in a good place.

She is the Emperor, in Cruella de Vil's shoes.

How could the Tory party not come up with better candidates? TM and a religous nut who wanted to illegalise marriage for gays, straights, anyone not christian!

Jessie -- we'll switch. One pretty old house that, uhm, needs some work but solidly built. Several reasonably priced (relatively speaking) colleges nearby. My husband and I go to the land of constant rain and clouds and TM, as long as I can visit Richard III's spot in the car park.

I can **certainly** understand your feelings toward May. You deserve an enormous amount of credit for becoming the person you have become. I'll say no more than that, but you have my utmost admiration and respect.